4th Grade Finesse

Scholastic Storyworks is a paid subscription service that mails out monthly magazines and provides access to a valuable backlog of digital material. Although the content is full of gems, I'd like to highlight the Debate readings a jumpstart and reinforcement of opinion writing that students can engage with all year long. I use the readings to create a Google Slides show that students can complete independently. They are tasked with reading (or hearing me read) the text, filling in a graphic organizer, writing a script (opinion writing piece), and recording a Flipgrid video to share with the class. This is a wonderful conversation starter and students love the ability to participate in the online debates.  Tips from personal experience: -Do a few of these together before assigning a independent work. -Preview the text and use your best judgement when controversial topics arise. -If this is your first time using Flipgrid, start with having students create non-academic videos first so...

  The 40 Book Challenge is a project that I have adapted from Chicago based teacher Ben Kovacs. This simple tool generates a ton of buzz around independent reading across my grade level and has students swapping reading material faster than you can imagine. Students are assigned a personal reading record via Google Forms and challenged to read 40 selections in over 10 genres. Book reviews are simple and can be completed in under 5 minutes. The point is not to bog them down with so much writing that they get distracted from the reading. Results prove that this project is an effective hit! Tips from personal experience: -Log the first book as a class. Use your first novel or read aloud. This is the only book they can use from a whole-class shared reading experience, however, so they read more independently.  -Have a yard sign made that says, "I completed the 40 Book Challenge in _______'s class" and send it home with students for a week after they've finished the assign...

Creating observable goals for students to reach is essential to the learning process. My team and I use a specific format for learners to be able to track their progress throughout the course of a unit. These digital target trackers allow us to monitor their progress and see if their self-evaluations are in line with ours. After assessing their abilities, learners can use the wealth of materials provided in our online resources to get the extensions, additional practice, or review needed. Tips from personal experience: -Start slow. Model what the various levels look like using concrete examples. -Be sure to develop the resources students will need after they determine next steps.  -Don't feel like you have to have trackers for every subject matter. Chose one area and then build out over time.   Click here for a copy of the target tracker!